Five movies and TV shows with links to Buckinghamshire

These range from romantic comedies to Bollywood blockbusters, to episodes in a series.

Here are five of biggest films/programmes to have links to the county that we call home.

Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) – Amersham

This timeless classic starring Hugh Grant, Andie MacDowell, and Rowan Atkinson first hit our screens 30 years ago and despite it being three decades old, it is still talked about in high regard.

The romcom made a staggering £245million at the box office, and has been regarded as one of the best films ever made due to its popular reception, and rave reviews from critics.

And incredibly, it has a connection to Buckinghamshire that some people might not be familiar with.

Hugh Grant's character (left) in the living section of the The Kings Arms Hotel in Amersham (Image: YouTube) The flick was mainly shot in London and the Three Counties, with Amersham being one of the locations.

One scene shows Grant entering the Crown Hotel along the town’s High Street.

Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001) – Waddesdon

Moving from a quintessentially British flick to a Bollywood blockbuster, one of the biggest Indian movies of the 21st century was partly recorded in Buckinghamshire.

In the 2001 three-and-a-half-hour long flick, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (which translates in English as ‘Sometimes Happiness, Sometimes Sadness'), a large portion of its scenes were shot in its native India, yet amazingly, some of the movie was recorded inside and outside Waddesdon Manor near Aylesbury.

This shot at the start of the movie is frequently referenced in Indian culture to its dramatic nature (Image: YouTube) The Grade I listed building was used as the protagonist family’s ‘New Delhi’ home when in reality, the location was more than 4,000 miles from the Indian city.

The movie, which boasts an ensemble Indian cast of Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Hrithik Roshan, and Kareena Kapoor, tells the story of a multimillionaire family’s struggle as their adopted son marries a woman belonging to a lower socio-economic group than them.

Its gripping storyline made it the highest-grossing movie in Indian history, a title it held for five years.

After Life (2019 – 2022) – Beaconsfield

Written and starring comedian and actor Ricky Gervais, this black comedy drama took Netflix by storm in 2019 when its first season was released.

After Life focuses on Tony Johnson, a local journalist who is mourning the loss of his wife, Lisa, who died from cancer.

It continued to be a popular hit during the coronavirus pandemic when the second season was released in 2020, with its third and final series being aired in 2022.

This snap shows After Life being recorded in the spring of 2021 (Image: NQ) And with Gervais being local to the area (being from Reading and currently living in Marlow), it made sense that some of the show was shot in Buckinghamshire.

Most notably Beaconsfield, as he is seen in the graveyard of St Mary’s and All Saints Church.

Beaconsfield featured heavily in the first two seasons of After Life, with the Old Town Registration Office serving as the set for a fictional care home in the show.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) – Turville

One of the most well known links to Hollywood and Buckinghamshire is in the family-friendly classic, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

The tale about the magical flying car is partially set in the county, as the Cobstone Windmill was used as the home of fictional inventor Caractacus Potts, played by Dick Van Dyke, who, alongside the Truly Scrumptious (Sally Ann Howes) and children Jeremy and Jemima (Adrian Hall and Heather Ripley) travels to the strange land of Vulgaria.

One of the scenes from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang showing the windmill which is based in Bucks (Image: YouTube) The mill was reportedly built in around 1816 and was in use until it was damaged by a fire in the 1870s, after which it lay derelict for many years.

It was restored cosmetically for the film and the brick and flint house and surrounding estate was then purchased by the actress Hayley Mills and her director husband, Roy Boulting, who continued further renovations.

As of 2024, the windmill is up for sale and has had its asking price dropped from £9million to £7million.

Hot Fuzz (2007) – Denham

Another flick that is deeply engrained in British culture, the comedy police movie Hot Fuzz was released in 2007 and made around £80million at the box office.

One of the film's most iconic scenes shows Adam Buxton's character (right) get killed by a falling church spire (Image: YouTube) Although the filming mainly took place in the South West of the country, a portion was recorded in Buckinghamshire.

Simon Pegg sits at Denham Station. This was used in the 2007 movie, Hot Fuzz, where Pegg's character, a Met Police officer, is transferred to a small force in a West Country village (Image: YouTube) There is scene where Simon Pegg’s character is waiting on the platform at Denham Station, whilst the death of the local reporter in the movie was shot in Gerrards Cross.